Achieving Excellence Together

Dear BPS Community:
 
I hope that you and your family had a wonderful summer, and you are all ready to begin the 2019-2020 school year. 
 
We have a lot of exciting new developments at Barnstable Public Schools from our work this spring and summer, including a new district theme:  Achieving Excellence Together , and a new logo, website and this monthly E-newsletter that reflect this theme. We also have many new opportunities for parents, students, educators and staff to have a voice, and become more actively involved in making positive change happen within the district this school year, and beyond. These are outlined below.
What Makes Barnstable Public Schools Unique

Since last school year, we have been working on identifying areas of strength and areas of improvement for the district, and what makes Barnstable Public Schools unique. We affirmed our greatest strengths lie in the diversity of our community of families, educators, staff and administrators representing more than 25 different languages and cultures. This gives Barnstable Public Schools the unique advantage of preparing our students for real world education in a more globally diverse academic environment and workforce.

Our strength and uniqueness is also found in the caliber of our educators, staff, administrators, and district leaders–many who have been Barnstable alumni themselves. This gives our district an uncommon knowledge of what it means to be from Cape Cod, and how to make a life and home here post graduation should BPS students choose to do so.

Finally, BPS' strength is found in the depth of the district's financial and other resources that give Barnstable Public Schools the unique ability as Cape Cod's largest school district to invest in career and vocational education, athletics, and technology. Within the past year, the Town of Barnstable has invested $5.3M in a new athletic complex, and $3.5M in a state-of-the-art High School Innovation Learning Library that was involved more than a year of research, and was modeled after collegiate learning centers.
New Family and Community Engagement Center

On July 8th, BPS opened our district’s new Family and Community Engagement Center located at Hyannis Youth and Community Center. This center provides:

  • Community Information—including physical and behavioral health materials, community service providers, food pantries, local recreational activities, local support groups and educational events and housing resources

  • School Information & Services—including new student registration and school assignment, summer and extended school year programs, school immunization requirements, interpreter services, English Learner assessment, transportation, attendance awareness and expectations, and resources related to the district’s health and social and emotional curriculum and,

  • District Volunteer Coordination—designed to increase the interaction between BPS students and the community of Barnstable.

Contact Terriann Morin at 508-790-6345 x117.
Spring 2019 Parent Survey + Educator Listening Sessions

BPS conducted a spring parent survey, and educator listening sessions at each of the schools in May 2019 to learn more about what parents and educators believe are the district's areas of strength, and those needing improvement. As a result of this important feedback, the district is embarking on some very specific initiatives to address these issues, including:

  • Parent, student, educator focus groups: Join BPS as we conduct parent, student and educator focus groups in October/November to discuss and address some of the district's most pressing issues such as vaping, cell phone use, and others that were brought up during the last school year, and in the spring parent survey and educator listening sessions.

  • A new District Advisory Cabinet (DAC): BPS invites parents, students and educators to join the new District Advisory Cabinet. This group will support advisory boards at the school-level, as well as have an important say in what happens district-wide.

  • A new Educators’ Advisory Cabinet (EAC): BPS is establishing a new advisory cabinet giving educators the opportunity to have a two-way dialogue, and direct feedback loop with the Superintendent.

Check back in the September issue of the BPS E-newsletter for more detailed results of the survey and educator listening sessions, and initiatives in response to this valuable input.
New Website with Parents and Students Pages + Educator Profiles

With the launch of our new theme and logo, we also launched a new website that now has  dedicated web pages for both Parents and Students  to help district parents and students stay up-to-date on important district-wide issues where you can make a difference, as well as day-to-day information you need to know to make the school year run more smoothly. On the new Parents and Students pages, you can:

  • See photos of district students, their classmates and friends from our spring 2019 photo shoots at BHS and BIS

  • Download a copy of the new district brochure (also featuring photos of our students and staff)

  • Learn more about results of the May 2019 parent survey, and educator listening sessions (Details coming in September)

  • Learn more about vaping and cell phone use, and how each member of the BPS Community can help the district cope with these issues, and create a healthier learning environment

  • Learn more about featured BPS educators through in-depth profiles in the Meet Our Staff section of the Parents and Students pages (Profiles coming this fall), and

  • Sign up for fall focus groups, and the new District Advisory Cabinet made up of parents, students, educators, and administration where you can personally make a difference in the future of the district.
Our Door is Always Open

As we begin the 2019-2020 school year, I personally invite each of you to join with me in lending your voice, and getting more actively involved in making the next school year one of positive change, and  excellence  at Barnstable Public Schools. It takes the whole district community including parents, students, educators and administrators to realize our common goal of achieving excellence for your children–working together. 
 
Our door is always open for a conversation at every level of administration at the district. Please contact us:  508-862-4953 , or  send a message  through our FB messenger.
Superintendent of Schools